Exemplary implementations of the subject matter disclosed herein relate to semiconductor devices and methods for fabricating the same. More particularly, exemplary implementations relate to three-dimensional (3D) semiconductor devices with improved reliability and methods for fabricating the same.
Semiconductor devices are widely used in the electronics industry because of their small sizes, multi-functional characteristics, and/or low fabrication costs. A semiconductor device may include various tiny electronic elements (e.g., a MOS transistor, a resistor, a capacitor, and/or an interconnection). The tiny electronic elements may be electrically connected to each other through interconnections and/or contact plugs.
However, the demand for highly-integrated and/or high-speed semiconductor devices has led to distances between interconnections being reduced and aspect ratios of contact plugs being increased. Thus, research has been conducted into processes capable of fabricating highly-integrated semiconductor devices.